The Relationship of Jane and Maura
by tika12001
Summary: Jane and Maura are special. They spend a lot of time together, and occasionally make comments that allude to a relationship that is deeper than simple friendship. So is it any wonder that so many people mistake them for a couple? Just a (hopefully) cute little story from multiple points of view. Now complete :-)
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Relationship of Jane and Maura

Author: tika12001

Rating: K

Summary: Jane and Maura are special. They spend a lot of time together, and occasionally make comments that allude to a relationship that is deeper than simple friendship. So is it any wonder that so many people mistake them for a couple? Just a cute little story from various points of view

Disclaimer: Not mine, make no money

**Authors note: I'm still working on the sequel to 'Jane's Diary' but this popped into my head and wouldn't come out, so... enjoy :-P**

**Alex Simmons (Susie Chang's boyfriend)**

When Alex walked into the room and saw the two women standing there, he wondered vaguely at their general ease with each other. It didn't take him long to pick up on the vibes coming from the detective though, Jane Rizzoli. She was smiling at him pleasantly enough, but he could see in her eyes a certain jealousy that flared whenever Dr Isles spoke to him or smiled at him. While he was very interested in fashion, he tended not to mention it around women in general, simply because they did tend to come to the opinion that he was gay; however in this case he thought it might be a good thing. Sure enough, the surprise that came from both women when he mentioned the designer of the outfit Dr Isles wore helped to lessen the intensity of the stare coming from Rizzoli. When he mentioned knitting, crocheting and beading, Rizzoli exchanged an amused glance with Dr Isles and relaxed completely. It was a short lived reprieve though, as directly after that, Dr Isles was forced to call a Code Red on a possible pathogen present in a recently deceased woman, resulting in all three needing to strip down and take decontamination showers. Alex tried to make the two women as comfortable as possible by continuing to play on the gay card, yawning deliberately as they undressed. Rizzoli was uncomfortable in her nudity around him, dragging around a container to hide behind, but he noticed that she seemed to have no problem giving Dr Isles a full view of her naked backside and he grinned to himself quietly as she communicated with some other cops through the window. Oh yeah, they were a couple. He would bet on it.

**Susie Chang**

The first time that Susie thought that Dr Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli were in a romantic relationship was actually within her first week of work. Detective Rizzoli was always down in the morgue, and she and Dr Isles had an ease to their interactions that spoke of a deep connection. At first, having no true 'gaydar' to speak of, she merely thought they were friends, but when she overheard them chatting about whose house they were going to stay at that weekend, she quickly re-evaluated her opinion. The thing that cemented her idea of their relationship though, was the time when she confided in Dr Isles that she met her boyfriend at a nudist retreat and asked her if she would like to join them. Detective Rizzoli was, as she so often seemed to be, in the morgue with Dr Isles at the time, and she answered for both of them. "We'll let you know," she told Susie, and Susie raised her eyebrows and shook her head as she left. If they weren't together, she was a monkey's uncle.

**Lydia**

Lydia wasn't the smartest cookie in the jar, she was able to admit that easily enough. But she was quite proud of her 'gaydar'. After all, she knew that Mitch Townsend from high school was gay long before Mitch himself even knew! So when she met Jane and Maura, she immediately started studying their interactions and conversations, cataloguing them so that she could come to a definitive conclusion. Firstly, she came to the realization that they always seemed to be together. When they confronted her about the father of the baby, they were together, when she got gestational diabetes and Angela took her to Maura's house, they were together. Lydia also came to realize that quite often, when a murder victim was found, Operations usually only called one of them to get them both to the crime scene, knowing that they spent a lot of time together. Lydia also enjoyed watching them communicate, often without words. It spoke of a deep intimacy to her. She put down her pen, looking at the notepad she'd been jotting notes on. Result of her studies? They were a couple. Absolutely.

**Lydia's mum**

Rose Sparks had various issues, she knew that. She was an alcoholic for one, but when Lydia had her baby, she was determined to change that so that she could be a good grandmother. She didn't want her grandson's memories of her to be of a drunken woman. She also found that Lydia's relationship with her improved exponentially when she was off the booze. Lydia actually spoke to her mother. Rose heard all about Angela Rizzoli, Tommy, Frank and the question of the paternity of the child, Frankie Junior and, of course, Jane and Maura. At first, Rose was unsure as to the relationship of Maura to the rest of the family. She knew that Jane, Tommy and Frankie were Angela's children, but, judging by Lydia's discussions of the family, she knew that Angela only had 3 children. So then she thought that perhaps Maura was involved with Frankie, but that option got thrown out the window quickly as Lydia never discussed 'Frankie-and-Maura'. It was always 'Jane-and-Maura'. Jane-and-Maura did this today, Jane-and-Maura took me to birthing classes once, Jane-and-Maura are so nice, etc etc. Eventually, Rose decided that she would simply have to see for herself what role Maura Isles played in the Rizzoli family.

The first thing that was obvious was how at ease the whole family clan appeared to feel in Maura's house, as though family dinners there were a regular occurrence. Then, she overheard the two of them standing in Maura's kitchen, talking about how much 'fun' Christmases, Thanksgivings and New Years were going to be from that point on, and what they were both hoping to teach TJ. Rose smiled and nodded to herself even as she settled down into her seat. She now knew what role Maura played in the Rizzoli family, and why she was always with Jane. Their love for each other was obvious.

**Cailin**

Cailin may be young, but she wasn't stupid. The first time she met her older half sister, Jane Rizzoli was there, and as far as she could see, there was no real reason for her presence. Sure, it was possible that Maura asked her to be there simply for moral support, but Cailin highly doubted it. Jane was so obviously comfortable in Maura's house that it just didn't seem like this was a once off dinner, or even a twice, third or fourth-off. It was quite plain to see that Jane spent a lot of time with Maura, and vice versa. When her mother went away and Cailin invited herself over for an extended stay, she was smart enough to realize that her arrival may not have been entirely wanted; she also could not resist the temptation to study their relationship further. Of course, she also needed to get to know Maura Isles, the amazing woman who had donated her kidney to her only recently discovered kid sister and didn't even want her to know about it, but curiousity about Jane Rizzoli really convinced her to force her welcome. She more than half thought that Jane actually lived with Maura, so she was rather surprised when Jane announced she was going home her first night there. Cailin then mused that perhaps their relationship was still only new, so therefore they didn't live together yet, but she was unsurprised when Jane seemed to be there most of the time anyway. Yes, Jane's mother lived in Maura's guest house (and what was THAT about anyway, if they weren't together) but Jane wasn't there to see Angela. She was there for Maura's sake only. Yes. Yes, Cailin may be young, but she was definitely not stupid. Jane and Maura made a very cute couple.

**Giovanni**

Giovanni thought that Maura and Jane were both exceptionally hot. He wasn't clever, not even a little bit, but he was able to pick up on Jane's thoughts about him. She was definitely not interested. So he decided to take a pass at Maura. His first meeting with her didn't ping any radars at first; only when he thought about it later. Jane, who had been fending off his advances, thrust Maura in front of her so that he would talk to her. As Maura flirted, Jane's eyes had grown first wide and then very, very narrow. She darted in front of Maura, shielding her from Giovanni's sight. They started discussing the problems with Angela's car, and Giovanni watched out of the corner of his eye as Jane glared at Maura, asking her what she was doing. "He's hot," Maura replied and Jane shook her head, her frown deepening. Giovanni didn't think of these things at the time; in fact they barely registered as he was too involved in checking out the car and checking out Maura. He started trying to woo her, buying her things, even getting invited back to her house, but an unlucky stomach issue stopped things from proceeding further that night, and later on, when Jane and Maura went to pick up Angela's car, they told him that they were in a relationship. Giovanni shook his head. It really wasn't any surprise that they batted for the other time, even though he was somewhat shocked at the time. The way they held each other was... well, it was kind of nice. Very hot, of course. Giovanni settled back against his couch, and pictured the various things that two women like that would get up to in their spare time together. Mmmm...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi! So in case you can't tell, I've started with the more obscure characters in the series and will now start working my way through the more prominent ones. Hope you enjoy :-)**_

**Paddy**

Paddy Doyle had never been so happy as the day his daughter struck up a friendship with Jane Rizzoli. Detective Rizzoli was brash, sarcastic and formidable, despite her slender frame, and she was also extremely protective of her friends and family; none more so than a certain Maura Isles. Paddy watched his daughter as often as he could; he kept track of her events and achievements so that he could see her receive the awards she so richly deserved, but he was grateful that Jane was there to protect Maura the times he couldn't be. His surveillance of Maura's life revealed more than just her awards and achievements though. Paddy knew when Jane started appearing more and more in Maura's life, he knew when Angela Rizzoli moved into Maura's guest house, he even knew about Tommy's baby and how it seemed to link their lives even further. Suddenly they weren't just talking about what they would do when they got old, but what they wanted to teach TJ to do as he grew. Paddy sat in his car outside Maura's house, watching through the window as Jane reached out to touch Maura's arm and she threw her head back in laughter, holding onto Jane for support. Paddy Doyle may be a monster and a murderer, but he knew love when he saw it. He saw it when he fell in love with Hope, and he saw it now. He only hoped that Maura's love would last a lifetime.

**Cavanaugh**

Sean Cavanaugh knew that, to be a good Lieutenant, one must know the ins and outs of the various police officers under him. And Sean prided himself on being a very good lieutenant. He was aware of Frost's difficulty with death, his amazing ability with computers and even about his ex-fiance, long before Frost's partner was made aware of it. Sean and Vince Korsak were old buddies, but even so, Sean had a mental list of the things that made Korsak up: his three ex-wives and the circumstances behind each divorce, his stepson, even his initial feelings towards Frost. What Sean had a harder time calculating was a certain Jane Rizzoli. He knew all about Jane's family of course: her youngest brother, Tommy, the ex-con, the middle sibling Frankie, who looked up to Jane Rizzoli, and the circumstances surrounding her parents' divorce. He was of course, also very familiar with Angela Rizzoli seeing as how he was currently romantically involved with her. But Rizzoli herself... she posed a bit of a mystery to him at first. He knew about her failed relationship attempts: Gabriel Dean and Casey Jones being chief among them, but that wasn't what intrigued him about her. Rizzoli had never really committed to those relationships, but there was someone she appeared deeply committed to. It was at this point that Sean made the decision to learn more about Dr Isles. He wanted to know just how involved she was in his best detective's life.

**Hope**

Dr Hope Martin knew that she had never treated her eldest child the way she deserved to be treated. Her initial reasoning for that was good: she had simply never known that she was alive, let alone what an amazing woman she had turned out to be. However after that... she really had no good reason. Yes, Maura reminded her of Paddy, of a time when she felt so happy and in love that it physically pained her to recall it now, but that wasn't it. It was that Maura never asked for anything, except for what Hope found it hardest to give: love. Acceptance. Understanding. Hope found herself enthralled by her daughter, under a spell that she was sure Maura was never even aware she was casting, and it scared Hope a little bit. As odd as it sounded, it scared her to fall in love with her own child. Oh, she loved Cailin, as much as any mother can love her child, but Cailin's birth and life was always marred by Maura's absence. Every achievement of Cailin's... walking, talking, riding a bike... reminded Hope that she would never see Maura do the same things. So when Maura so suddenly appeared in her life; a sweet, selfless, beautiful woman, intent on causing Hope the least pain possible, Hope reacted the only way she knew how: she fought back. She didn't thank Maura when she donated a kidney to save Cailin's life... she wanted to, but she was scared of what accepting Maura into her life might do to the carefully constructed walls she had built since her daughter's believed death.

That's why Hope was so glad that Maura had Jane. Hope may have only been in Maura's life for a very brief period of time, but she could instantly tell how much her daughter meant to Jane, and vice versa. When Hope saw Jane, she always felt as though she was being sized up and found lacking in the dark gaze.

Dr Hope Martin had had secret wishes for her first child the moment she found out she was pregnant. She hoped that she'd grow up to be intelligent and beautiful, and she hoped that her daughter would find someone that loved her as much as she deserved. Hope smiled to herself at the realization that all three of her wishes had come true.

**Tommy**

Tommy Rizzoli was the black sheep of the family. He always had been and for a long time, he revelled in his individuality. Let Jane and Frankie be the good kids of the family; he didn't have a problem with them joining the police force or having high aspirations, as long as they didn't ruin his fun. And it _was_ fun. He performed break and enters, ruthlessly taking from families their prized possessions so that he could sell it to buy alcohol, he tagged occasionally, and, of course, he drove under the influence. None of it bothered him at first... the thrill of it all far outweighed the risk of getting caught in his own mind. But when he hit Father Crowley while driving under the influence yet again, it seemed to him as though a switch had been flicked in his brain, and he had to consider if this was really the way he wanted to live his life. The answer was a resounding 'no'. Frankie had always been more obvious in his hero-worship of their older sister, but Tommy looked up to her as well. And when the jail doors slammed on him, locking him away, he made the decision that one day, his sister would look at him with pride shining in her eyes.

When Tommy got out of prison, it took him a while to get his life back on track, but it was made easier by Jane's friend, Maura Isles. She was beautiful, intelligent, and Tommy found himself completely entranced by her. She was generous and kind, and she seemed to have no problem helping Tommy out, but Jane was very protective of her, refusing to let her co-sign anything. In a way, Tommy was grateful for his sister's interference: he would never be able to fully prove himself if he was constantly relying on someone else to pick up the slack, but he thanked Maura profusely anyway. And when he felt that her interactions with him were a little bit more than friendly... well, he followed up on it. He was only human after all, and Maura Isles was an extremely attractive woman. His sister's reaction was unexpected however. Tommy had dated friends of Jane's in the past; she had never been really happy about it but she left him to it. When he started making the moves on Maura though, she flat out told him to back off, and that struck Tommy as being strange.

Did he think Jane and Maura were in a relationship? No. Not yet. But it was coming someday very soon.

**Frost**

Jane wasn't the type to open up easily: Frost picked that right from the beginning. She didn't want to be seen as weak or emotional; basically she didn't want anyone thinking that just because she was a woman, that that somehow indicated that she was inferior. He had butted heads with Korsak right from the beginning because of Jane's need to be always seen as strong and dependable. Frost had never really understood Korsak's attitude; in fact, at first, he thought Vince to be a bit of an asshole. But as they continued to work together, Frost began to understand. Korsak was upset with Jane, and took it out on Frost.

Jane was an incredibly strong woman, that much too was quite obvious right from the beginning. No matter the case, she stood straight and tall, never emotional, never bowing to pressure. Jane was a fortress, her walls built up high against the outside wall. That's why Frost could never understand the way she looked when Maura was around. When Maura was around, there was a light in Jane's eyes, and her whole body seemed to relax just a little bit. She was still her same abrupt, sarcastic, over the top self, but her eyes softened just a little bit when she looked at Maura. Frost made the mistake once of calling a reddish-brown stain blood, and Maura had looked up, slight panic in her eyes at the thought of labelling the stain without definitive proof. Before she could say a word, however, Jane tapped Frost on the arm. "We do not know that it is blood yet, detective. Please refer to it in the correct terminology." Maura smiled at Jane then, and Jane had returned the grin, their gazes lingering just a second or two too long to be considered merely friendly.

Were they together? If Frost was to be perfectly honest, he'd have to say that no, he didn't think they were. But he knew in his detective's gut, that that would most likely change very soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Korsak**

Jane Rizzoli was an amazing detective. She was strong, brave and intelligent, and it hurt Korsak deeply when she requested to change partners after the incident with Hoyt. He knew that she hated that he had seen her at her worst, but he couldn't make her understand that it made him appreciate her all the more when she was at her best... because now he knew how much of a fighter she was. So it struck him as somewhat odd that, when Maura Isles came to her aid afterwards, helping to clean up her hands, Jane did not seem at all inclined to avoid her in the same way she was avoiding him. In fact, a relationship that previously could be barely called an acquaintanceship, suddenly appeared to deepen quickly and rapidly, and before he knew it, Jane and Maura were known throughout the whole department as best friends.

He could never really understand the appeal. Maura Isles was as far removed from Jane Rizzoli as you could get. She was prim and proper; Jane was rough and ready. Maura was designer; Jane was comfort. Maura was high heels; Jane was boots. Maura was book smart; Jane was street smart. They were as different as night and day, and he thought that surely, one of them would get sick of the other sooner rather than later. He had his money pegged on Jane getting sick of Maura's random fact spewing, but it was not to be. Two years down the track, their friendship was stronger than ever, and Korsak had had to, on more than one occasion, pull Jane away from some person who had been unlucky enough to be caught making fun of Maura. So when their friendship seemed to suffer a catastrophic breakdown after Jane shot Paddy Doyle, Korsak wondered how they would both cope without the other.

Jane barely said a word; she just threw herself into her work harder than ever, but Korsak could see that a light had burnt out in her eyes, and he grew worried. Jane was a brilliant detective who took calculated risks, but she never threw herself into truly dangerous situations without backup unless she felt truly alone in the world. Like the time she walked into Hoyt's trap, because she felt that she couldn't ask Korsak. Like now, when she didn't have Maura. And Maura... she just looked as though someone had run over her puppy all the time. Korsak knew that both her adopted mother and her biological father in the hospital at the same time may have contributed, but he didn't think so. He thought she missed Jane. So it was really a no-brainer that he, Angela and Frost had to work together to get them speaking again. He had hoped it wouldn't be quite such a life-or-death situation, but it worked. The light was back in Jane's eyes, and Maura smiled again. Their friendship seemed stronger than ever.

Were they a couple? Korsak wouldn't be at all surprised if he should learn that they were. He wouldn't be surprised at all.

**Frankie**

Jane and Frankie were always close, even as children. They rarely, if ever, had a secret that wasn't shared with the other, and so it was when Jane met Maura. She came over to his place the night she first met her, wired up with energy. She told him how she was dressed as a hooker for an undercover assignment when this _woman_ pandered to her, and offered her money to pay for her coffee and donut. "_Wearing a glove_," Jane scoffed, as though it was quite simply the most horrendous, offensive thing that had ever been done to her in her entire life.

"Well, weren't you dressed as a hooker?" Frankie had asked calmly, making Jane stutter and stumble.

"Well, yeah, but she didn't have to wear a glove! I mean, do I _look_ like I have diseases?" Frankie had simply raised an eyebrow at this, letting Jane ramble on for another half an hour, detailing everything this mystery woman was wearing, the height of her shoes, right down to her hair and eye colour.

"Did she mention her name?" Frankie finally asked when Jane seemed to have run out of steam in her tirade. When Jane answered in the negative, Frankie hummed. "She sounds a lot like our new medical examiner," he said, and Jane's jaw dropped.

"What? No, no, I'm sure it's not her."

Frankie pulled up a picture of Dr Maura Isles and turned his laptop around to show Jane. Jane let her head drop down onto her arms with an audible thump and Frankie smiled in amusement.

"Wait, how do you know the new medical examiner before I do? You're still in the academy!" Jane declared suddenly, pointing a finger accusingly at her brother. Frankie shrugged.

"She came around to the academy to introduce herself. Seemed nice."

Jane rolled her eyes and scoffed at the idea of Dr Isles being nice, but Frankie wasn't interested in Dr Isles anymore. He was far more interested in his sister's reaction to her. He wasn't surprised when Jane came over again a week later and told him how she had awkwardly apologized to Maura. "She was very nice about it, and invited me out for coffee," Jane told him, smiling happily, and Frankie grinned at her fondly, settling down as she told him all about it and how incredibly smart Maura was. He wasn't surprised when their relationship only appeared to deepen, but he was a little bit saddened when he realized that Jane was now spending far more time with Maura than she was with him. And when she stopped talking about Maura with him, he came to a realization about their relationship.

Jane told him everything; except about the people she was interested in.

And that's when Frankie realized that Jane was in love with Maura. And that she herself didn't even realize it yet.

**Haven't received very many reviews yet... like, hardly any at all. :-( Please let me know what you think! I know it's just a silly little story, but I still appreciate your feedback immensely :-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Authors Note: I don't know why but I think this is my favourite chapter. So far anyway, cause I will be making it into a 7 (probably) chapter story now. Wait, is story the right word? Maybe it should be ramblings? Meh, whatever word describes this thing :-P_**

**Constance**

Maura Isles came into Constance's life in a whirlwind, and it seemed as though Constance was never able to put her head back on straight again. Paddy Doyle had showed up on her doorstep with a baby in his arms and told her that she now had a child. "It's all been taken care of," he told her, "The paperwork has been done up. She is your adopted child. Please," he begged, "my father will kill her if he realized she existed." He had kissed the child on the head softly, sweetly, before turning away. He had only said one thing more before he left. "Her name is Maura." And so there it was. Constance had been given the care of a child and had her life turned upside down, all within the space of five minutes. And as she stared down at the precious bundle in her arms, she simply prayed that she would not screw it up too badly.

Constance had never wanted children, you see. She was spoilt, selfish, but she was smart enough to recognise these qualities within herself and realize that those very qualities that defined her also meant that she would never be self-sacrificing enough to be a parent. When Constance married, she had married a man who was entirely devoted to her, and she to him, and part of the reason behind finding someone with that level of commitment to her was knowing that he would never want a child to come between them. So when she walked into the house with Maura in her arms, he had lost his temper. When Maura woke up and started crying at the angry words, he stopped, taking the baby into his arms and clumsily soothing her as best he could. He never looked at Constance the same after that though, and she spent the rest of her life trying to make it up to him.

Unfortunately, this meant that Maura tended to be neglected. Oh, she never wanted for anything in way of food or luxury items, Constance had the means and the ability to provide almost anything for her daughter. Maura was looking at horses in a magazine one day and the very next week, Constance had organised riding lessons. Maura expressed a desire to learn ballet, so Constance enrolled her in the best dance school there was. Whatever Maura wanted, she got, but she never got the thing she truly wanted. It took Constance a lot of years to realize it, but all Maura truly wanted was to be loved and needed, the way other parents seemed to love and need their children. But Constance didn't have much time for her... she was too busy spending time with her husband, still convincing him years down the track that, even though this child had been unceremoniously dropped into their lives, nothing had to change. They could still travel, still feel free, they just had to organise a nanny to take care of Maura. It took Constance a long time to realize that the look in her daughter's eyes was sadness. She wanted for nothing except for what Constance couldn't, or wouldn't give her. Constance couldn't give her herself.

There was a part of Constance that was happy when Maura decided to apply for boarding school when she was 10. She pretended that it was because she was so happy that her daughter qualified for the prestigious school, but the reality was much simpler: if her daughter was out of the house, Constance wouldn't be constantly reminded of her own failures every time she looked in Maura's eyes.

After high school, Maura went straight to college. She chose to board there, and Constance came to the sad realization that Maura was now far more used to being alone than she was to being with people. It made her sad, but in a strange way she was also proud of how resilient and independent her beautiful daughter was. Maura called home every Saturday like clockwork, and Constance began to treasure those phone calls like precious gems, hoarding them away and jealously awaiting the next call. When Maura became the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Constance began hearing a change in her daughter's voice in her weekly phone calls home. For the first time in a long time, if ever, Maura was sounding truly happy, and Constance wondered why. She was not close enough to her daughter to ask though, and that saddened her deeply. She only hoped that Maura would eventually tell her. Sure enough, the name Jane Rizzoli started popping up in conversations. After a while, Jane (plus her various other family members) was all Maura would talk about. Finally Constance, almost giddy with curiousity, deliberately arranged an art installation in Boston so that she could finally meet this mysterious woman who made her daughter laugh and smile so much. She was not prepared for the woman she met.

Constance made arrangements to stay at a hotel, feeling awkward about staying with her daughter who was essentially a stranger to her now. She cancelled a dinner with her daughter, worried that people would ask too many questions of Maura, such as where she had been at her last 15 art installations. She knew Maura would never question these things; Maura would be unfailingly polite and sweet, accepting Constance with all her failings and simply being grateful that her mother had at least come to Boston.

Maura was always a far better person than Constance ever was.

So when Jane sent Maura away to get some drinks at the exhibit after making a pointed comment about needing to 'crash the party', Constance wondered what was going to happen next. Jane looked tough, defensive, and extremely protective. "She's my best friend. I don't like seeing my best friend get hurt," she told Constance bluntly, and Constance felt the words stick into her like blades. She expressed disbelief and Jane continued her straight-forward appraisal of the situation. "It seems to me like you were too busy while she was growing up, and now you're blaming her for being too busy, wha...?" Jane stared at her in anger and disbelief, and Constance couldn't help the tears that welled in her eyes.

"I was never any good at it," she confessed softly, but took the opportunity to leave as soon as she could. Constance ran, just as she had been doing from Maura throughout her whole life. The only difference was, Jane was willing to chase after her.

"Get good at it," she bit out into her ear just before Constance made her speech, and as Constance stumbled her way through her carefully prepared speech, she found herself smiling inwardly. She was never very good at being brave, or self-sacrificing, or any of the things that made mothers what they are. But somehow... Jane gave her the courage to change. As she looked into the audience and saw Jane's grip Maura's hand tightly, she added something extra to her speech.

"Today's installation is not just about the environment, it's also about love. And that's something I've only just realized. If you have love, don't let go of it, because it is the most precious, delicate, strongest thing in the entire world." She thought about adding something about Maura, but she wasn't quite that brave yet. "Thank you," she murmured, stepping down from the stage to her applause. When she looked around for Maura later, she was gone. But Constance found a note next to her handbag. "Meet us before you leave. Dirty Robber. Tomorrow. 8pm." She smiled, and thanked all the Gods for bringing happiness into her daughter's life, in the shape of one Jane Rizzoli.


	5. Chapter 5

**Angela Rizzoli**

Angela Rizzoli knew that she was considered overbearing; a 'helicopter mother' she believed Jane had even said. She couldn't help it: she just wanted her children to be safe. If they could have stayed little enough to hide under her apron their whole lives, she would have been happy. But no, that's not the way life works, and so they grew up. Jane Rizzoli, Angela's oldest child, was hard and tough as nails. She didn't like to be considered weak simply because of her gender so, from the age of about 3, she refused to wear dresses or skirts, preferring instead to wear pants or shorts, preferably something baggy that hid her slender frame. More times than Angela could count, Jane had come home sporting a black eye or bruised shins from some punch up in the school yard. Angela hoped that sending her to a Catholic school would knock the tomboyishness out of her, but it was not to be. Jane's report cards were consistently coming home with C- for comportment, and Angela despaired over her daughter.

Frankie Rizzoli was the middle child, and he always looked up to his sister, much to Angela's dismay. He had a much more placid personality than Jane, but it didn't take him long before he too started coming home from school all scuffed up from a knock-down, drag-out fight of some kind. Her heart sank when Jane announced her intention to be a police officer, but she wasn't surprised when six months later, Frankie announced the same thing.

Tommy was her baby, and she spoilt him. She knew she did, and so it wasn't really a surprise to anyone when he decided to turn to a life of crime; preferring the relative ease of stealing a television than actually working enough to save up and buy one. Angela knew he was a good boy though, she just needed him to realize it.

Angela despaired over her children's apparent reluctance to give her children. Jane had never shown an interest in children, but Angela was still insistent on setting her up on dates, becoming increasingly desperate in finding her daughter a husband. Jane grew frustrated with her mother's obsession, especially as she didn't do the same thing with her sons (in fact, Angela tended to find a reason to despise the women her sons liked), but Angela was sure that she was doing the right thing. She had more than half convinced herself that if Jane met the right guy and settled down, she would drop out of the police force in order to start a family. Angela was deliberately blind to the fact that Jane Rizzoli lived for her job and that, without it, she would be merely a shell of a woman.

Another thing that upset Angela about her daughter was her lack of friends. She had a best friend for a while in high school, Emily, but unfortunately that friendship sizzled out when Emily developed a womanly form and therefore went boy crazy. Ever since then, Jane didn't really allow herself to get close to other women. Angela valued her friendships dearly, and worried that Jane wouldn't have the same connections and people to go to over any situation.

That all changed when Maura Isles came into their lives. Jane and Frankie were in the kitchen chatting quietly when she first heard the name pop up, and her curiousity got the best of her. "Maura? Who's that?" she asked, coming into the room and ignoring the way Jane glared at first her then her brother.

"Dr Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," Jane replied stiffly.

"Wow, what a title," Angela said, genuinely awe struck. "So, uh... how do you know her, Jane?"

Jane looked at her as though she was insane. "Through work."

"Oh, of course. Is she nice?" Angela was watching her daughter carefully as she asked and so she didn't miss the momentary softening of her daughter's facial features. It barely lasted a second though, before Jane's mask was back up.

"She's all right," Jane answered, picking up an apple from the nearby fruit bowl and taking a huge bite out of it. Angela was smart enough to realize that this was Jane's way of stopping the conversation, but she also wasn't very good at taking hints.

"So why were you two talking about her?"

Frankie huffed out a laugh and Jane glared at him, her cheeks bulging as she frantically chewed. "Maybe because Maura is all she _ever_ talks about now."

"Frankie!" Jane spluttered, shooting half eaten apple pieces across the room.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Angela berated her absently, thinking about what Frankie had said. "You've never mentioned her to me..."

Jane shrugged, looking uncomfortable as she continued chewing the over large bite of apple she had in her mouth. Eventually swallowing it, she half smiled at her mother. "Well, it's just that... you know, Frankie wants to be a cop too, so I talk to him more about work stuff."

"Ah," Angela said, accepting the excuse and sitting down on a nearby chair. "So, tell me about her now then."

"I don't know," Jane replied uncomfortably, "She's a friend, I guess."

"A friend? A friend!" Angela leapt up from her seat and threw her arms around her daughter, ignoring Jane's squirms to get away.

"Wha... Ma! Ma, get off me!"

"Oh Janie, you have a friend. I was so worried that after Emily, you'd never... but you _have_ and... oh! You have to invite her to dinner! We'll have it here! Oh _Janie_," Angela had pulled away during her speech but she surged forward again, wrapping Jane up in her arms happily.

"Ma! Ma! Can't... breathe! Ma... OKAY MA! Fine, I'll invite her to dinner! Alright, now get off me," Jane huffed, straightening her shirt when Angela finally let go. Angela couldn't help the grin that lit up her face for the rest of the day. If Jane couldn't get a husband yet, Angela was just happy that she had a friend.

Maura was not who she was expecting though. Maura was exactly the type of person that Jane had made fun of through primary, middle and high school. Jane always preferred her friends to be tomboys, like her, so this elegant woman gliding into their kitchen threw Angela off a little bit.

"Oh, you must be Maura," she quickly stated, recovering quickly and thrusting out her hand. She hesitated mid air though, thinking that surely people of Maura's class prefer kisses on the cheek but Maura simply smiled sweetly, shaking Angela's hand. The sweet smile and kind eyes got Angela, and she found herself pulling the other woman in for a hug. Maura gasped in surprise but hugged back, pulling away with a faint pink flush to her cheeks. Jane came forward at that point with an apologetic look on her face, placing a hand to the small of Maura's back to lead her away. Angela looked at that hand and tilted her head curiously.

Throughout dinner, she watched their interactions closely. Maura was a very literal person and the Rizzoli's were not, and whenever someone said something that Maura didn't understand, she barely looked confused for a second before Jane was leaning over and whispering in her ear. Angela had served up takeout that night from Jane's favourite Chinese restaurant, and she watched in bemusement as Maura started rambling about the origins of chop sticks and fortune cookies. About ten seconds into the monologue, she glanced at Jane. Jane was looking at Maura with an exasperated yet extremely fond look on her face, and Angela wondered.

She set up Jane on only one other date after that. Yes, she hinted towards Giovanni and other men, but it was more to see Jane's reaction than anything else.

Angela Rizzoli had always dreamed of Jane meeting the man of her dreams, but she never considered that Jane would meet the woman of her dreams.

And Angela was really okay with that.

**Whoop, next chapter is written so it will be up tomorrow, and I'll try my best to get the seventh and final (I think) chapter written and out the following day :-) Please let me know what you think :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Jane Rizzoli**

Jane had always known she was wanted to be a cop. Well, from the age of about 8, anyway. They had a parent's day at school. Every child bought in one of their parents to talk about their jobs, and Billy Gedman's mom was a cop. Jane had been fascinated, and raised her hand constantly with questions, seemingly only just getting the chance to ask one before another five would pop into her head. When Ayden Yew yelled out that Officer Gedman couldn't possibly be a good cop because she was a _girl_, Jane's head whipped around to glare at him so fast, she almost got whiplash. Ayden caught her glower and quickly shut up... even at 8 years old, Jane Rizzoli was not a force to be reckoned with. Jane was almost embarrassed to bring her dad to the front of the room after Officer Gedman; somehow a plumber just didn't seem that exciting after stories of chasing suspects and apprehending criminals. Her dad didn't let her down though, he knew how to charm kids and had the whole class cracking up with the stories of things he'd found down toilet cisterns and pipes. The whole time though, Jane stared longingly at the uniform Officer Gedman wore. Billy Gedman noticed her looking and pointed Jane out to his mum, and when Officer Gedman winked at Jane, Jane felt as though she could fly.

After class, Jane found herself heading towards that uniform. Without even realizing what she was doing, she reached out and started lovingly stroking the emblems and badges adorned to it. After a moment she glanced up to see Officer Gedman smiling down at her fondly.

"Do you know what you want to be when you grow up...?"

"Jane," Jane supplied, looking at the uniform.

"Jane," Officer Gedman nodded, then followed her gaze. "You want to be a police officer?"

"Oh yes," Jane breathed, a huge smile lighting up her face and she stared up into the lined face.

"Good. Work hard and you'll get there," Officer Gedman had replied, and that was the end of that. But it wasn't really. Every story that the woman had told the class had been rooted in Jane's mind, and the roots began to take hold, twisting, creating stories of which _she_ was the saviour, _she_ was the one chasing criminals. _She_ was the one acting almost like a superhero. From that point on, Jane used every ounce of energy to be what she wanted to be; nay, what she _needed _to be. It got her written up a few times at school, (the time when she came across three 9 year old boys laying into a 7 year old girl came to mind. Jane had jumped straight into the fray, rescuing the sobbing child. She sustained a cut lip and black eye, but the three boys had ended up much worse off), but Jane didn't care. She was fulfilling her destiny.

12 years after Parent's Day, Jane was at the Police Academy. She was sitting in the lecture hall taking down notes when the recruit officer announced a visitor. Jane sat up in shock when the now Detective Gedman walked into the room. She had a limp to her step now: a change to her gait that she would later inform Jane was due to the bullet that had been fired into her leg, shattering her femur and requiring metal plates and screws as well as months of rehab. Her face was more lined than ever, but her eyes were still warm and kind as they perused the room. Her gaze faltered briefly when she came to Jane's face, and Jane smiled. When Detective Gedman talked, Jane knew that she had been listening later only by the page full of notes she found in her book, but at the time she felt like she barely took her eyes off the woman who had first planted the seed of her destiny in her head. After class, Jane approached the detective, and patiently waited for her classmates to leave.

Detective Gedman looked up as the other students left. "Jane? Is that you?" she asked hesitantly, tilting her head on the side.

"Yes. I won't keep you," Jane mumbled, suddenly feeling bashful, "I just wanted to say thank you for," she shrugged, "for helping me find my passion in life."

Detective Gedman grinned. "You would have found it anyway, Jane. There are some people born to be in the police force, and I knew you were one of them as soon as I saw you."

Jane thanked her and, after chatting for another half an hour, left. She never saw her again after that, but she heard from her new colleagues that she had made the decision to retire after her leg injury restricted her to desk duty, that now her contribution to the police force was encouraging the new recruits at the academy. Jane smiled to herself, knowing that her encouragement of recruits had started long before her retirement, even if no one else realized it.

When Jane got through the academy, she threw herself into her job whole heartedly, and very quickly became known as one of Boston's finest police officers.

She didn't make friends easily though. There had been only two other women in her class at the academy and they had tried to befriend her but Jane politely refused every offer to go to the movies, to study together, to have a drink and eventually they stopped asking. Jane didn't want to band together with the girls; as far as she was concerned, it would make her stand out even more against the men. No, Jane simply trained harder and faster than the whole rest of the class, so that none of them had a leg to stand on when it came to teasing her, and it worked. While she was still very slender, she was all hard muscle; fast and wiry, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Jane revelled in the look in her trainer's eyes when she completed her physical in second place out of a class of 65 (the first being an officer who simply had to requalify after an injury).

It wasn't that Jane didn't want a friend: it was just that she didn't see the point. She had had friends in the past... Emily, who abandoned her the second she got specially delivered boobs at the age of 12, and Becky Zisti, who decided she wanted to be popular and left Jane in the gutter. She eventually made it up with Becky, but their friendship was never the same, and after that Jane vowed never again. Friends were just too fickle. Now that she had graduated the police academy, she _definitely_ didn't need the distraction of a friend.

And that's when Maura Isles walked into her life.

Maura was elegant, refined. She wore high heels to crime scenes, fancy dresses, and her hair and makeup were always impeccable. And she was, quite simply, the sweetest, kindest woman Jane had ever met.

Their first meeting was not so grand, admittedly, and Jane had burned with resentment over this woman who, in her eyes, pitied her and mocked her in front of other people. Sure, Jane was dressed as a hooker but what did that have to do with anything? This mystery woman still should have treated her with respect, and not _worn a glove_ to hand her money!

After Frankie told Jane who the mystery woman was, Jane found herself burning for a whole different reason: embarrassment. She was promoted to Detective shortly afterwards, but her pride at being the youngest officer ever to be promoted to the rank of detective was marred when she realized that she would be working closely with 'the mystery woman', one Dr. Maura Isles. Jane Rizzoli was not one to back down from a challenge though, and so after only 20 seconds of indecision, she made her way down to the morgue. Dr Isles was sitting in her office, typing a report when Jane tapped on the door.

"Come in," Maura called. Jane walked in, smiling sheepishly.

"Hi. Um. We've met before, but I'm Offi... _Detective_ Jane Rizzoli. We'll be working together from now on."

Maura looked at her then, and a huge smile lit up her face. "Hello Detective!" she said brightly, standing up. "I am Dr Maura Isles."

"Yeah, I... I know. My brother told me," she explained when Maura cocked her head on the side questioningly, "He's at the academy and you introduced yourself. Frankie. Frankie Rizzoli."

"Ah," Maura nodded, "yes, I remember him." She bit her lip anxiously, looking at Jane from under her eyelashes.

"Look, I just," Jane paused and sucked in a deep breath of air, letting it out slowly. "I wanted to apologize. For the way I treated you when... well, you know, when we first met. I was hungry and I had no money, and... well, I'm not a nice person to be around when I'm in need of caffeine."

"Caffeine withdrawal!" Maura stated, perking up, and Jane stopped, staring at Maura. "Yes, it's quite a common ailment, particularly amongst those in law enforcement. The top signs are headaches, irritability, lethargy, depression, constipation..."

"Whoa whoa whoa, gonna stop you right there. Let's not talk about my privates before we even have a cup of coffee together, okay?" Jane said, surprised to find herself laughing even as she put up her hands as though fending off the words.

"Is... is that an invitation?" Maura asked hesitantly.

Jane grinned. "It is."

"Will your serotonin levels be steady at the time?"

"My... what?"

Maura flushed. "Will you be hungry?"

"I'll eat beforehand _and_ I promise I won't call you rude, how about that?" Jane replied with a grin and Maura smiled.

That lunchtime, they headed out to a coffee shop, and Jane very quickly realized that Maura was the most interesting person she had ever met. There was seemingly no end to her knowledge on random things. When Jane ordered a croissant for lunch, Maura started talking about the origins of croissants, how they are made, who originally came up with the recipe, etc, and Jane found herself reeling with the sudden influx of information. She wasn't annoyed though, and that kind of shocked her.

Their friendship grew slowly from that point, but after the incident where Hoyt put scalpels through Jane's hands, it grew in leaps and bounds. Jane deliberately didn't think about it. She didn't want to know why she hated the thought of Korsak seeing her weak, yet she didn't mind Maura seeing her in that state. She supposed it had something to do with trust, but that was the furthest she got with it.

As their friendship grew, so did their knowledge of each other, and the more Jane learned of Maura's upbringing, the more frustrated she was with it all. Maura was very diplomatic about it all at first, but there was a reason Jane had been promoted to homicide so young: she was good at reading between the lines. While Maura prattled on about how she had never wanted for anything, Jane heard the 'excepts' hidden in the conversation. _Except_ for her mother's time, _except_ for her father's patience, _except, except, except_, and it made Jane angry. The strength of her initial reaction upon meeting Constance Isles was unsurprising to Jane, but what did surprise her was the fact that, in spite of her anger, and in spite of Constance's neglect of Maura, Jane actually took a liking to the woman. Later on, she supposed that it was because Constance was willing to change, accepted willingly that she needed to change, and Jane respected that.

Jane supposed that, in reflection, her relationship with Maura was both the simplest and most complex one she had ever formed with another human being. It was simple in that it flowed so effortlessly from both of them: both accepting and even coming to love the flaws in the other that, in other people, drove them both insane. But it was also complex in a way, because Jane was never really sure what she thought of the woman who had made such an inexplicably sudden and regular appearance in her life. She never really knew what she thought of Maura, and that scared her.

Oh, she knew that she thought Maura was fantastic, don't get her wrong, but aside from Maura's brilliance, her intelligence, her kindness, sweetness, generosity and innocence, what _did_ she think of Maura?

Jane stood up and sighed. Enough contemplation for the day. She didn't have many answers but the answers she had come up with were pretty simple.

Maura was her best friend, and Jane loved spending time with her. Maura was incredible, and sure, a little annoying sometimes but Jane had never laughed so much in her life as when she was with her.

Maura was a part of her family.

And Jane didn't know what she would do without her.

**One chapter left! Maura's POV :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hi all! Thanks for the lovely reviews and alerts, they make me smile! Now, before I get into this chapter, I would just like to address one of the reviewers... I would send them a PM but as the review was left as a guest, I don't have that option. The review reads as follows:**_

_:Where is the action? Its boring. Everything is Fine and everybody see the Love between the two but Jane and Maura. The style is mit good. __**(I'm assuming they meant 'not' good)**_

**_First of all, I would just like to say thank you to this person for at least taking the time to leave a comment, even though it was not a particularly good one. You cannot please everyone, and, while I have enjoyed the reviews (and asked for more! This is more to gauge people's opinions on how well I have captured the personality of the characters however :-P), this 'story' was really more of a writing exercise for me. If this person had decided to read my other pieces of fiction, they would see that my style is usually rather different._**

**_I would also like to ask this person a simple question, and I hope that it is not taken offensively... but if you found it so boring, why is it that you commented on the sixth chapter? The last that I had up at that point? That says to me that you read, or at least skimmed through, most of it, and I don't know about the others readers out there but I can usually tell within reading one chapter of a new story if it is one I am going to enjoy. Considering that this piece has a very slow build up, I find it very difficult to understand. If you had commented on the first chapter on the other hand..._**

**_Anyway, that is all I have to say. Guest, if you are out there, I apologize for the fact that you have found this story boring to date. There are a lot of brilliant authors on this site though, and I'm sure you can find something else to make up for your apparent disappointment. :-)_**

**_Much love to all! And now onto the chapter... (oh, and yes, there will be one more chapter after this)_**

**Maura Isles**

Maura Isles was a genius. She had known this from a very young age; just as others were able to say definitively that they had brown hair or green eyes or that they were good at swimming, Maura was able to say that she was a genius and know it to be true. She also knew as a fact that she was a strange child. There was one other child her age in school who was her equal in intelligence, a boy, but he was not strange. People _liked_ him. Maura did not have enough evidence to support a theory, but she made the hypothesis that it was _her_ who was abnormal, not him. After all, _he_ had friends. And she didn't.

It wasn't that Maura didn't _want_ friends. She wanted them desperately, but she had no idea how to get one. Or how to keep a friend once she got one. She just didn't seem to be that sort of person: the kind that people flocked to or liked instantly. She was a cute kid, with long wavy hair, big hazel eyes and a gap between her front teeth (braces were put on her teeth when she was 10 to get rid of that problem), and people were initially drawn to her because they found her aesthetically pleasing, particularly later on when she grew into a young lady. However, as soon as she opened her mouth to spurt out some random factoid that had popped into her head, the person who had shown an interest suddenly acquired a 'deer in headlights' look on their face and backed away quickly. It was upsetting to Maura, but she learned to hide it well, even as she felt herself growing timid among large, or even small, groups of people.

When she was in primary school, at age 9, a new girl started. Her name was Rhona, and Maura thought she was simply the most beautiful person she had ever seen. She had long black curly hair, an olive complexion and startling green eyes, and Maura couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, Rhona would want to be her friend. There were only two free desks in the classroom, one next to Maura and one next to Marshall Walters, a small, sweaty boy who even Maura avoided if she possibly could. After introducing Rhona to the class, the teacher pointed out the two spare desks and encouraged her to pick one to sit at. Maura sat up straight and smiled winningly in Rhona's direction, celebrating internally when Rhona took barely even one glance at Walter before heading over to Maura.

"Hi, I'm Rhona," the girl introduced herself with a smile, and Maura lifted her shoulders in barely suppressed glee.

"I'm Maura. I'm very pleased to meet you," Maura replied formally, and Rhona laughed.

"You're funny," she said, and Maura gaped.

"I... am?"

"Yeah! Only grownups talk like that. We're just kids. We say things like 'yo, wanna hang out later?' not 'I'm very pleased to meet you'."

"Oh..." Maura replied awkwardly and Rhona laughed again, reaching into her bag and pulling out her pencil case and a notepad. Maura noticed that the end of all of Rhona's pencils had teeth marks around the metal, and couldn't help the next words that came out. "You know, you really shouldn't chew on those."

Rhona frowned, looking down at the pencil which was already halfway to her mouth. "Why not?"

"The metal part of the pencil, which is called a 'ferrule' is generally made of aluminium. While it is made very thin, it is still a metal and therefore detrimental to your teeth and your general health." Rhona was still smiling slightly, but a small frown had begun to create lines between her eyes. Maura took no notice. "Excessive chewing on random objects can lead to malocclusion also."

Rhona tilted her head. "What's that?"

"Buck teeth."

"O...kay..." Rhona replied, the smile now completely gone from her face as she gazed at Maura suspiciously. "What are you, like, a genius or something?"

"Yes," Maura stated this blankly, not as something to be proud of, just as an undeniable fact.

"Huh," Rhona said, raising an eyebrow, "Right, well, I'm just a regular kid. So I'll just be hanging out with the other regular kids at lunchtime while you read your weirdo encyclopaedias or whatever if you _don't_ mind." Rhona turned her attention back to the teacher and, after a few seconds, so did Maura, desperately ignoring the prickling sensation behind her eyes.

Things got worse for her from that point on. Her whole school life to that point had been fairly anti-climactic. The other students had tried to make friends with her at first, but when confronted with evidence of her high intelligence, they left her alone. Rhona though, it seemed, was not content to leave Maura alone, and, since most of her grade appeared to like Rhona while only merely tolerating Maura, Maura suddenly found herself becoming a target of their displeasure because of her abnormalities. Rhona came up with the term 'Maura the Bore-a' and the first time that it was bounced around freely by cruel, laughing children, Maura felt something inside of her break. Upon getting home that afternoon, she raced inside with tears streaming down her face, hoping to get some motherly comfort, but it was her nanny who stepped out from behind the doors, not her mother. "Where's Mother? And Father?" Maura asked hesitantly, staring up into the harsh face of Mrs. Goldman.

"They had to go on an unexpected business trip. They should be back in two to three days," Mrs Goldman replied brusquely, taking Maura's bag and handing her envelope. Maura recognised the handwriting on the outside as her mother's and tore it open, hoping it at least would comfort her.

_Darling,_

_Your father and I have had to go to the UK briefly as he has been offered a speaking engagement there that was simply too good to pass up. I have arranged for Mrs Goldman to stay with you over the next few days, and she will take you to your ballet class and, if I am not back by Saturday, your riding lesson also._

_Hope you are well._

_-Mother_

Maura slowly crumpled the impersonal note up in her hand, feeling a lump of what felt like golf ball sized dimensions suddenly appear in her throat. "Thank you, Mrs. Goldman," she managed to say politely, and slowly walked up the stairs.

After that, it started to become apparent to Maura that she was truly alone in the world. Up until then, she had seen the world through a child's rose coloured glasses but now the glasses were starting to come off. She was beginning to see her world as it truly was: a desert of loneliness and duty. Six months later, she applied for boarding school, and three months after that, it was _she_ who walked away from her parents. And at only 10 years old, Maura Isles held her head high, recognising that, for the rest of her life, she would only ever be able to rely on herself.

Maura loved boarding school and was rather sad when it ended and she had to come home to go to high school. She was 13 by this point, a blossoming beauty and she had a rebellious streak that meant, for the first time in her life, she had friends. Perhaps friends was the wrong word, but she had people in her life that she spent time with and who tolerated her quirks and eccentricities with reasonably good humour, provided she lived up to her side of the friendship and performed the various tasks they requested of her. Oh, she never did anything _illegal_... her friends knew of Maura's inability to lie and, while they found it highly amusing, they didn't want her to inadvertently get them in trouble, so they only asked her to do little things. Prank the teachers, things like that. Maura got a thrill out of it, especially as the teachers never ever guessed that it was _she_ who did the things that made their lives miserable.

No matter what she got up to outside of school hours though, Maura was nothing if not a genius, and so her grades continued to excel, and, despite her small group of friends, she was still very nervous around people. She was even nervous amongst her friends, constantly wondering what they really thought of her, so when the term medical examiner came up in one of her classes early on in high school, Maura's ears pricked up. She had always been very interested in human anatomy but she was too nervous to become a doctor as they dealt with live patients, yet here was a way for her to be a doctor and deal with those that cannot judge. From that point on her future was set, and as she set her sights on her goals with unerring focus and determination, she barely noticed when she dropped off her friends' radar and suddenly became the weird, smart girl with no friends again.

In university, while Maura remained very focused on her goal of pathology, she began to recognise the signs of anthropophobia within herself and researched how to sort out the problem. Immersion therapy was the answer, and so Maura forced herself to join the Equestrian Team and several other teams which required interactions with other people and, while very difficult, she began to recognise signs of improvement within herself.

As clever as she was, it did not take very long before Maura became qualified and known as one of the best pathologists in the field, regardless of her age. Taking advantage of her parents prestigious lifestyle also meant that Maura got the chance to travel the world, joining Doctors without Borders and gaining more and more life experience. When she got offered the Chief Medical Examiner position at the age of 32, she recognised what an amazing opportunity it was and moved her whole life to Boston without further delay. She still had no friends, but Maura was okay with that.

Or she was, until she met Jane Rizzoli.

Their first meeting was interesting to say the least. Jane was undercover, dressed as a hooker but Maura felt drawn to her. She was obviously a very passionate person, the type of person Maura wanted to be so she approached her, barely even thinking about what she was doing. Unfortunately, knowledgeable as she was about diseases, she also felt the need to put a glove on beforehand and she later realized that that contributed to Jane's initial negative response. That, and the fact that Jane wouldn't like to be pandered to and Maura offering money for food, as kind hearted a gesture as it was intended to be, would have certainly felt like pandering to Jane. For a while after that, the mystery woman kept crossing Maura's mind at the most random times, so much so that when she appeared in Maura's office shortly thereafter and introduced herself as Detective Jane Rizzoli, Maura almost wondered if she was dreaming. She wasn't, of course, and Jane inviting her out for a coffee and apologizing for being bad tempered proved it.

The thing that Maura really found herself appreciating about Jane as their friendship developed was the way Jane accepted her the way she was. Yes, Jane was sarcastic and occasionally biting in her humour, but the way she looked at Maura made up for it. Because Jane looked at Maura sometimes like she believed that Maura hung the stars in the sky. She would roll her eyes, groan and laugh it off when Maura went off on a tangent over a random piece of knowledge, but later, when Maura was least expecting it, Jane would repeat said knowledge word for word, leaving Maura completely baffled. Jane actually listened to her. Jane believed her words were important enough to be listened to and remembered.

For a long time, Maura was reluctant to instigate interactions with Jane. When they were at a crime scene together, they would interact easily and afterwards, when Maura was delivering the results from the autopsy, they would be giggling together over something or other and Jane would always say that the two of them needed to hang out outside of work sometime but it never got any further than that. Maura figured that Jane was probably just being polite. But eventually Jane asked Maura out for a drink, and Maura reeled with the knowledge that Jane did actually like her. Afterwards their relationship moved from strength to strength. Jane stood up for Maura, in situations where Maura didn't even realize that she needed someone to do exactly that for her and Maura supported Jane in ways that even she didn't fully understand. Nor did she exactly understand why it was that she was allowed to support Jane when so many others, even those trusted by Jane, were denied the opportunity but Maura wasn't complaining.

Jane was the best friend that Maura had ever had. She was the best friend that Maura had never had, and Maura wasn't sure when her feelings towards Jane had changed from pure friendship to something more, but she wasn't about to wreck the greatest thing in her life.

Besides, it wasn't as though anyone else saw anything between the two of them.

**Last chapter will hopefully be up by tomorrow :-) Please let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

Looking back on it, it was a whole lot of little things that added up to one big picture that tipped Jane and Maura over the edge of friendship into something more. It was a whole heap of little things, plus one not so little thing: Angela Rizzoli. But really, Angela just gave them the final nudge: they were already teetering on the edge of oblivion, Angela just got them there probably only mere days or weeks before they got there by themselves.

The little things just added up.

It was Susie and Alex, asking Jane and Maura if they would like to accompany them on a nudist couples retreat. "It's supposed to be very romantic!" Susie enthused while Alex nodded emphatically in agreement, his arm around her waist.

It was Lydia asking them when they were going to have children. "I know that, like, neither of you have, you know, sperm or whatever, but there's stuff they can do, you know? They can just, like, put a baby inside of you."

It was Lydia's mum asking Jane when she was going to pop the question. "And make sure at the wedding you don't have spicy food. I don't like spicy."

It was Cailin growing frustrated and asking Maura when they were finally going to be up front about their relationship. "I'm not a kid you know, and I definitely don't have a problem with it. You guys are a cute couple!"

It was Giovanni finally admitting defeat and not asking them anymore if they would consider batting for the other team. "You two are so hot together that I'm just not gonna try to butt in anymore. You guys are soul mates. And hot."

It was Paddy, telling Jane that he knew that his opinion wouldn't matter to her, but all the same he wanted her to know he approved of their relationship. "You love her and you take care of her and that's all I ever wanted for my daughter."

It was Cavanaugh, pulling Jane and Maura aside and informing them that, while their relationship may be perhaps frowned upon in professional terms, he was very happy for them both. "Just continue to do the great job you do and keep it professional, you hear?"

It was Hope, coming forward to Maura and telling her of her three wishes for her eldest child. "I always wished that you would grow up to be intelligent and beautiful, and you are, more so than I ever imagined. I also hoped you would find someone who loved you as much as you deserved, and now you have Jane. My wishes came true for you, Maura."

It was Tommy, telling Jane that he wouldn't try anything with Maura again. "I don't want to step on your toes."

It was Frost, asking Jane when she was finally going to admit to her feelings. "Maura won't wait around for you forever, you know."

It was Korsak, telling Maura that she looked like a timid little lamb when Jane wasn't around. "You just seem to light up when you see her, doc. And she does the same when she sees you."

It was Frankie, making pointed comments about Jane's lack of communication regarding Maura. "Remember Steve Sanner? You told me all about him until you decided you liked him, then you shut up and wouldn't say another word. Haven't heard about Maura for a while."

It was Constance, whispering in Maura's ear about how proud she was of Maura. "Darling, I want you to listen to me. Don't you worry about what anyone else thinks; Jane is welcome to attend everything with you. I will proudly announce her as my future daughter in law."

And it was Angela. Angela Rizzoli, who couldn't stay out of her children's lives if her life depended upon it. Angela, who was so wrapped up in her children that she would willingly look like an idiot if it meant seeing a smile on one of her kids faces. Angela, who really didn't care what the gender was of the person her child fell in love with, as long as they was happy.

Angela, who arranged a dinner date for Jane and Maura and didn't inform them who their dinner companion would be.

Angela, who successfully and expertly guilted both of them into attending without further questions.

Angela, who stayed outside the restaurant that night, wearing black clothes, a hat and sunglasses, simply so she could see the moment Jane kissed Maura for the first time.

You see, it was a whole heap of little things, but Angela Rizzoli played her role.

Angela played her role well.

_R&IR&IR&I_

"Do you think...?" Maura began hesitantly that night, wrapped up in Jane's arms on the couch. Jane pressed her lips softly to Maura's before replying.

"Do I think what?"

"That... I don't know. That maybe everyone saw something more to our relationship before we did? I mean, even from the beginning of our friendship?"

Jane thought about it, eventually shaking her head. "Nah. We'd have known."

"Yeah, I suppose," Maura agreed, snuggling further into Jane's body and laying her head on Jane's shoulder contentedly.

Neither suspected the amount of disappointing phone calls that Angela made that night, each of which went along these lines:

"Jane and Maura have finally admitted their love!"

"Okay... wait, you mean, they weren't in a relationship already? God, I thought they got together years ago!"

Each phone call ended with a frustrated huff of air and the dial tone. The recipient of each phone call inevitably ended up staring at the phone in confusion and lowered it into its cradle before calling out to other members in their household.

"You are not going to _believe_ what Angela just said!"

**THE END**

_**I am actually really happy with the way this turned out. Very different from my usual writing style, but I quite liked it. I think I only liked it cause of this final chapter though. Otherwise it was just going to be filed under 'meh, it's not too bad'. :-P Anyway, let me know what you think please. Did you like it, didn't you, why or why not... you know the drill.**_

_**Oh, and I have a challenge for you! I would like some comments on plot bunnies you would like to see me try my hand at! If you can't think of any... well, just review anyway :-P**_

_**Love to all,**_

_**tika12001**_


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